Known For
Acting
Born
Jan 16, 1878
Died
Sep 21, 1947
Place of Birth
The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Credits
269 titles
Harry Carey
Biography
Henry DeWitt Carey II (January 16, 1878 - September 21, 1947) was an American actor and one of silent film's earliest superstars, usually cast as a Western hero. One of his best known performances is as the president of the United States Senate in the drama film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was the father of Harry Carey Jr., who was also a prominent actor. Born in New York City to a Judge of Special Sessions who was also president of a sewing machine company. Grew up on City Island, New York. Attended Hamilton Military Academy and turned down an appointment to West Point to attend New York University, where his law school classmates included future New York City mayor James J. Walker. After a boating accident which led to pneumonia, Carey wrote a play while recuperating and toured the country in it for three years, earning a great deal of money, all of which evaporated after his next play was a failure. In 1911, his friend Henry B. Walthall introduced him to director D.W. Griffith, for whom Carey was to make many films. Carey married twice, the second time to actress Olive Fuller Golden (aka Olive Carey, who introduced him to future director John Ford. Carey influenced Universal Studios head Carl Laemmle to use Ford as a director, and a partnership was born that lasted until a rift in the friendship in 1921. During this time, Carey grew into one of the most popular Western stars of the early motion picture, occasionally writing and directing films as well. In the '30s he moved slowly into character roles and was nominated for an Oscar for one of them, the President of the Senate in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). He worked once more with Ford, in The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), and appeared once with his son, Harry Carey Jr., in Howard Hawks' Red River (1948). He died after a protracted bout with emphysema and cancer. Ford dedicated his remake of 3 Godfathers (1948) "To Harry Carey--Bright Star Of The Early Western Sky."
Known For
Filmography
Golden Saddles, Silver Spurs
(archive footage)
Legends of the West
Ed Brandt in 'Law and Order' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
Directed by John Ford
(archive footage)
Film Fun
(archive footage)
3 Godfathers
In Memory Of
So Dear to My Heart
Head Judge at County Fair
Red River
Mr. Melville
The Sea of Grass
Doc J. Reid
Angel and the Badman
Marshal Wistful McClintock
Duel in the Sun
Lem Smoot
China's Little Devils
Doc Temple
The Great Moment
Professor John C. Warren
Happy Land
Edward "Gramp" Marsh
Air Force
Crew Chief
The Spoilers
Dextry
Among the Living
Dr. Ben Saunders
Sundown
Dewey
Parachute Battalion
Bill Richards
The Shepherd of the Hills
Daniel Howitt
They Knew What They Wanted
The Doctor
Beyond Tomorrow
George Vale Melton
Outside the Three-Mile Limit
Captain Bailey
My Son Is Guilty
Police Officer Tim Kerry
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
President of the Senate
Land of Liberty
(archive footage)
Inside Information
Captain Bill Dugan
Street of Missing Men
Charles Putnam
Code of the Streets
Detective Lieutenant John Lewis
Burn 'Em Up O'Connor
P.G. Delano
The Law West of Tombstone
William 'Bill' Barker
King of Alcatraz
Captain Glennan
Gateway
Commissioner Nelson
Sky Giant
Col. Cornelius Stockton
You and Me
Mr. Morris
Port of Missing Girls
Captain Josiah Storm
Danger Patrol
Sam "Easy" Street
Annapolis Salute
Chief Martin
Souls at Sea
Captain of the William Brown
Born Reckless
Dad Martin
Border Cafe
Tex Stevens
Kid Galahad
Silver Jackson
Lest We Forget
Himself
Racing Lady
Tom Martin
Aces Wild
Cheyenne Harry Morgan
The Accusing Finger
Sen. Nash
Valiant Is the Word for Carrie
Phil Yonne
The Last Outlaw
Dean Payton
Little Miss Nobody
John Russell
Sutter's Gold
Kit Carson